Acute Erosive Gastritis Due to Early Syphilis

Abstract

The decline in the incidence of primary syphilis between 1947 and 1955 led to the premature hope that penicillin alone could eradicate the disease (1). However, the widespread use of penicillin and other treponemicidal antibiotics have suppressed or modified the signs and symptoms of the initial stages of syphilis, making the diagnosis more difficult. With the resurgence of syphilis since 1957 (2), it is important to re-emphasize the early manifestations of syphilis. Although there have been several reports of tertiary syphilis of the stomach (3-8), comparatively little has been written of early luetic gastritis. The following case report represents an